I'd like to get suggestions (and many!) of names for our new theater
company.  Let me tell you just a bit about us:  We're starting a new
theater group at Cornell University.  We're planning on doing mostly
main-stage musicals and perhaps sometimes a drama or caberet.

We're looking for a name that has many of these properties:
* Interesting
* Eye-catching
* Provocative
* Easily spelled so that people can get to our web site by memory (and
preferable that some permutation of the name is available as a URL
currently)
* Something that plays off of "Cornell" or anything associated with
Cornell or the surrounding Ithaca area (like "Cayuga" "Gorges"
"Ithaca" "Slope" "incredible hilly" etc)
* Most of our ideas end with "...Production Company" or "Theater
Company" or just "...Productions".  Feel free to include or disregard
these suffixes if they make it sound better or worse. But avoiding
"Theater" seems to often work because people are never sure whether to
spell it with a "er" or "re," so we'd have to get both URLs.
* Appeal to both the college community but also to the community on
the whole.  Therefore names dealing with sex and drugs ( at least
explicitly) would have to be really really good to justify using.

Please of course don't let any of the above recommendations constrain
entries.  It's unlikely to find a great name that is perfect!

Let me give you some more info that may direct your creativity!

Names we've thought of and the reasons we are probably not going to
use (because we think they suck at least partially):
* "A Different Theater Company:" Although we are hoping to be
'different' this is too esoteric and more importantly people don't
understand that it is a proper name.  Another group on campus has an
even worse name "Anything Goes," which always always gets confused
with the show "Anything Goes." So being understood as a proper name
for some organization (if not immediately a 'theater production'
organization) is very important.
* "Pirate Theater", "Munchkin Theater":  They are kinda silly and not
very intelligent.
* "The Histrionics" I like this one because it is mysterious and also
because it brands us as a group of people (i.e. "We are the
Histrionics") instead of "we are from this organization."  But it's
kind of off-putting maybe?


Other groups in Ithaca that have names we find interesting are:
* "Cayuga's Waiters"
* Class Notes
* Key Elements

Please help us out!  Certainly, the entry we like best will get the
payment indicated, but if we actually decide to use that suggestion,
there will be a BIG tip!  If you can access my previous payouts, they
have been more than adequete, I believe!  Thanks!

---

Clarification of Question by jgrantl-ga on 03 Aug 2004 12:46 PDT

Hey folks! Thanks for your input.  The ones from voila are pretty
good, actually.  Remember, they don't *have* to be about Cornell!

---

Clarification of Question by jgrantl-ga on 03 Aug 2004 13:03 PDT

I love "starship Troupers!"  Keep 'em coming!

The Big Red Players
Cornell Carmine Commotion
The Carmine Commotion

The Cornell Campers
The Carmine Campers
The Big Red Camp
Red Bear Campers
The Cornell Camp

Cornell Sanguine Productions
Cornell Sanguine Players
Cornell Sanguine Troupe
The Sanguine Players
The Sanguine Scene
The Sanguine Show
The Sanguine Smash (<------  I like this! )

Garnet Gorges Gang
Garnet Gorgeous Gang
Garnet Gorgeous (Players, Troupe, Performers)
Garnet Gorgeous Gaggle

Ezra's Ensemble Productions
Ezra's Entertainment Entity (or Troup, Players, etc.)
Ezra's Entertainment Ensemble
Ezra's Ensemble Endeavors (www.CornellEEE.com)

Ezra's Better Than Productions (get a lawyer for this one)

"Ithacabaret."

Cornell Key Strokes

Glen Watkins Production Company (GWPCo for short)

Hello Gorges Productions
Trolley Art Squad (variation on Trolley Arts Quad)
The Boardman Players (from Boardman Hall/'tread the boards' idiom)
S-Troupe (S for Schwartz)
Free Reality Company
Cayuga's Cylindrical Foo
The Fabulous Furies
Boffo McPeak Ensemble
The Kiplinger Group
Manic Thespians
Troppo Fidelio
Loose in Ithaca
Militant Bards

"Starship Troupers" would be a cool name for a theatre troupe.

"Thespian Chic"?

Tru Korn
The Nellies
PeepShow
The End of the Show Peers (ok, silly)
The Act Pact
X The Spot
Ragin Stagin
Bard and feathered
Show'n Tell
Sparklebum
Guns n Poses
Sparklerati

A few suggestions for you:

The Ithaca Incident
Stagestruck Productions 
Encore Productions
Troubadour Theater/Productions
Focal Point Productions
Show and Tell Productions
Short Bus Theater/Productions/Players 
Brat Pack Players
The Instigators
Breakout Productions
Problem Child Productions/Players/Theater
Wunderkind Productions
High Hopes Players/Productions/Theater
Soliloquoy Productions

Emjay-ga

Ithespian Society
Ithespian Insider Productions
Ithespian Institute Productions
The Ithespian Players


And here it is, the best entry yet..."The Well Red Players"
bringinging into play 'Red' for Big Red and 'Well Read' for a bit of
good natured snobbery.  You could add Cornell to the front for The
Cornell Well Red Players or Cornell's Well Red Players.  If you are
worried about the spelling of "Red" for the website - just go with
"Read" or reserve both links as they are only < $20 a year.

Another one I like is "The Red Notes are Coming" Productions.

Itha Big Show Productions
Itha Great Group Productions
Itha Great Day for a Show Productions
Cornell's Cast and Crew Company
Zero Direction Productions
Cornell's Curtain Callers
Catwalk Productions
The Catwalk Crew
Applaud on Demand Productions
Applaud on Request Productions
Exit Stage Fright Productions

Scaffold -n- Ladders Production

I am a Cornellian, so I feel like I can add to this discussion...

Traditionally, of course, thespians refer to plays, musicals and such
as 'theatre' and movies and cinemas as 'theater,' but you're right,
people will confuse them.  I also agree with not choosing 'the
Histrionics.'  It will make you seem a little crazy. ;)  I also like
"Ithacabaret" by pinkfreud-ga...but people may associate that with the
town of Ithaca or Ithaca College more than Cornell.  And since IC
traditionally has better theatre than Cornell (sorry - no offense
meant), you'll want to differentiate your brand better. ;)  Then
again, if you're hoping to appeal to the community as well as Cornell,
"Ithacabaret" might be perfect.

How about these:

The Gorges Thespians
  *I like this one, because you can use it in the same was as 'the
Histrionics' as in 'We are the Gorges Thespians,' but it's not
offputting.

Dragon Day Drama(turges)

Lift the Chorus Productions
  *A heroic sounding name

Far Above Cayuga Theater
  *possibly perceived as haughty, but a good name

Libe Slope Players
  *a very Cornellian name

Winter and August Productions
  *In honor of the two seasons in Ithaca ;)

Snow Days Drama Company
  *In honor of the primary season in Ithaca and a tongue-in-cheek
commentary on the fact that Cornell almost never shuts down


-grammatoncleric

p.s.  I'll look forward to hearing about the new theatre
company...I'll write you guys when you have contact information on a
website. :)

How about this:

** The I. V. League Players **
I can envision a very cool looking IVL logo incorporated into your
curtain, playbills and programs. Alternatively you could call
yourselves ?46 Productions? or ?46 Players? ? "IVL" (which in this
case also stands for Ivy League) is the Roman numeral for ?46? and you
could make a very big deal about the mystery surrounding your name.
People will be thrilled when the truth is discovered. In fact, as a
promotion you could even run a guessing contest in your University
Newspaper or local radio station to raise funds for the theater. The
possibilities are endless.

Others:

Codgers and Hammers Team (Rodgers and Hammerstein)

La Thez Peons (Thespians)

The Mello Dramatics (Melodramatics)

Pretender?s Guild

Noble Laureates (Nobel Laureates)

I look forward to hearing from you if any of these strike your fancy. 

Regards;
Tutuzdad-ga

Biff and the Lomanettes
Peculiar Cheese
Chief Falcon and the Healers
The Beat Changers 
Teutonic Headgear
Makepeace Productions
The Lateral Cues
Major Joppolo and the Prosperians
The Phelonians
Bohemian Trout #9
The Metroactive Ids
Empire State Chi
Mindsailor Ensemble

"A Twist of Limelight."

The Feral Cast

The Unabridged Fictionaries

The Unabridged Visionaries

The Migrant Co-workers

The Empire Straits

Word Wrestlers Anonymous


tutuzdad-ga

555-WeAmuse
Seahorse Gumbo
Wayfarer Invention
Chester Drawers and the Chiffarobes
Tense of Wonder
Verisimilis Mayflies
Rex Foratio and the Pequods
Notes of Icarus
Vortex of Glue
Jubilant Knave and the Cabana Boys
Vitus-Genesius Productions
The Pure Pork Rangers
Harpoonia!
Demi Legato and the Cockchafers

We went with the MELODRAMATICS!  Please answer, and thanks!

Unfortunately you expired the question before I had an opportunity to
post my answer. If you'd still like to reward me I'd be pleased if you
reposted your question and put my username in your subject line so I
can officially post the answer and claim the fee. (You will not be
charged for THIS question since it was not officially answered. You
will only be charged for the one I officially post my answer to).

Regards;
tutuzdad-ga